So, my good friend, Mary Margaret, put me in touch with a friend of hers named Neal - a fellow Mississippian and Delta boy - and what's more, a fantastic chef.
One of our first excursions once we got settled in, was to Brevard. We wound our way to Neal's house, where the promise of a good meal waited. He had gotten a couple of rainbow trout (that very morning, and were swimming around in his sink just before we got there) and made an amazing smoked trout dip. There are no pictures of the dip because it went FAST - a testament to its flavor and how hungry we were!
A venison backstrap thawed while we talked and ate. In the meantime, he toasted some aromatic spices - that "smell like Christmas" - and chopped them up in the food processor. He coated the venison in the aromatics and put them in a huge iron skillet to cook on the stove top.
We also got to know Neal's friend, Emily, who is so much fun! She's a fantastic cook as well. We had so much fun!
Neal began to prepare the plates and put down a bed of pureed sweet potatoes, sliced the venison and arranged it just so, then topped it with sweet pea shoots tossed in homemade vinaigrette. Divine, I tell you!!
Take a look at this:
I'm doing a story soon for DeSoto Magazine about Neal, Emily, and her husband, Brandon, for DeSoto Magazine about North Carolina fly fishing (Neal & Brandon are working on being guides), so if you're in the area and can pick up a magazine in May/June, stay tuned!
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